SOUTH West Wiltshire MP Dr Andrew Murrison MP has visited a new affordable housing development in Trowbridge.

The local MP paid a visit to Selwood Housing’s new homes on the former Margaret Stancomb School site on Friday October 16.

Dr Murrison said: “It was a real pleasure to view the new homes and to see what Selwood Housing has done with Trowbridge’s well known Margaret Stancomb site.

"I was very impressed and wish the families that will soon be moving in every happiness in their new homes.”

Selwood Housing bought the disused town centre site, which had been derelict for over ten years, from Wiltshire Council in 2018.

The site has been sympathetically regenerated, retaining and converting the impressive 19th century school building into three houses and a range of new affordable homes have been built in the surrounding grounds.

Renamed Margaret's Close, the site is made up of 21 homes in a variety of sizes: nine for shared ownership and 12 for social rent.

The regeneration represents a total investment of £4 million in the local area and has supported 65 jobs during the construction.

Works had to be halted for a short time during lockdown but restarted with strict COVID-secure procedures in place.The first residents are expected to move in within weeks.

After a safety briefing, Dr Murrison heard about the history of the site and was shown around some of the new homes.

Barry Hughes, Selwood Housing Group chief executive, said: “As a local housing association, we understand the difficulties many people face in finding affordable and secure homes.

"We had a really positive response when we announced the purchase of this site as it holds a lot of memories for many people.

“We’re excited to see the homes ready for local families to move into and particularly proud that some of the new residents will include key workers who are working so hard for us all during the pandemic.”

Paul Walsh, Selwood Housing Group development director, said: “Brownfield sites like this give us the opportunity to deliver high quality affordable local homes with a fantastic central location.

"We would like to thank our partners Homes England for providing us with a grant of over £1 million, and E G Carter for their support at every step of the way.”

Phil Barnes, associate director at E G Carter & Co Ltd, said: “It has been a pleasure to work alongside Selwood Housing.

"These new homes are not only built to the highest quality but also provide much needed homes for residents with strong connections to the town of Trowbridge. We are looking forward to working with Selwood Housing again in the future.”

For further information, please visit www.selwoodhousing.com/margaretstancomb.